Interact: Sin Bin

Republican congressman and Speaker of the House John A. Boehner is scheduled to give the commencement address at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC today. He is also about to come in for a dose of the same harsh criticism previously leveled at some Democrats–including President Obama–who have been honored by Catholic universities: the accusation that his policies violate basic teachings of the Church.  More than 75 professors at Catholic University and other prominent Catholic colleagues have written a pointed letter to Mr. Boehner saying that the Republican-supported budget he shepherded through the House of Representatives will hurt the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable, and that he therefore has failed to unhold basic Catholic moral teachings.

“Mr. Speaker, your voting record is at variance from one of the church’s most ancient moral teachings,” the letter says. “From the apostles to the present, the magisterium of the church has insisted that those in power are morally obligated to preference the needs of the poor. Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs ofthe poor is among the worst in Congress. This fundamental concern should have great urgency for Catholic policy makers. Yet, even now you work in opposition to it.”

The letter writers criticize Mr. Boehner’s support for a budget that cut financing for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, while granting tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations.  They call such policies “anti-life,” a particularly biting reference because the phrase is usually applied by Catholic bishops and conservatives to politicians and others who support access to abortions.

Here’s the letter – http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/breaking-news-catholic-academics-challenge-boehner

He must really be smarting.

An athletic director at a high school in Springfield, Mass. says she was pressured to leave her position because she married her wife last month.

Christine Judd, dean of students and athletic director for Cathedral High School, stepped down after meeting with school administrators on Wednesday, according to The Republican newspaper.

Judd worked for the school for 12 years, where she rose from science teacher to dean of students and, three years ago, athletic director. While the state has allowed gay people to marry since 2004, same-sex marriage is still not sanctioned by the Catholic Church.

“Cathedral had nothing to do with this,” she said in the article. “This was a diocesan decision. In the end, the timing of this issue really affects the kids. That is where it has the most effect.”

Note: 40 Cathdral High students held a protest outside of St. Michael’s Cathedral in support of Judd.  Heartwarming.  More here.

“Victims deserve a church brave enough to confront its vulnerability and find a fair response,” said an independent commission investigating cases of sex abuse.  The commission was set up by the Belgian Catholic Church.  It was chaired by Dr. Peter Adriaenssens, a 53-year-old child psychologist.

As in many European countries, Belgium has been slow to confront sexual abuse. That changed this past April with the high-profile resignation of the former bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, who confessed to sexually abusing his nephew for many years. Outrage increased with the publication of transcripts of recordings of Cardinal Godfried Danneells advising the nephew not to go public with the story. Danneels, who has retired, admitted that advice was a mistake and apologized.

43% of the victims whose accounts are in the commission’s report came forward in the week after the Vangheluwe story broke. “The Vangheluwe case was a landmark because it was the first time people saw you could have a normal, famous person who was actually a hidden sociopath,” Dr. Adriaenssens said.

“Their stories help answer the question of how there could have been so much abuse and nobody said anything,” said Dr. Adriaenssens. He blames church leaders “for giving psycho-sociopaths a place to hide for many years.”

From Maureen Dowd’s Op-Ed column Rome Fiddles, We Burn published in the New York Times on July 16, 2010:

“In The New Republic, Garry Wills wrote about his struggle to come to terms with the sins of his church: Jesus “is the one who said, ‘Whatever you did to any of my brothers, even the lowliest, you did to me.’ That means that the priests abusing the vulnerable young were doing that to Jesus, raping Jesus. Any clerical functionary who shows more sympathy for the predator priests than for their victims instantly disqualified himself as a follower of Jesus. The cardinals said they must care for their own, going to jail if necessary to protect a priest. We say the same thing, but the ‘our own’ we care for are the victimized, the poor, the violated. They are Jesus.”

I wonder if the shock value of seeing Jesus as a holy innocent being sodomized–with a bishop standing by and doing nothing to stop it–would shake even the most hardened apologist into action against the church structure that allowed this to happen.

Cardinal George denied Communion to women and men on Pentecost Sunday who wore a Rainbow Sash.  Read more about it here.

Pardon me, but I thought Communion could be denied to individuals in grave mortal sin, not people who are homosexual per se… I guess presenting yourself for Communion as a homosexual qualifies as a “grave mortal sin.” At least, to Cardinal George.

The US Rainbow Sash Movement was founded in England. The US branch was founded by a man named Joe Murray. The mission of the Rainbow Sash is to begin a dialogue within the Church about human sexuality, and the dignity of LGBT people. Members of the Rainbow Sash are encouraged to be active in their local parishes. “The best way to correct false impressions is to let your spiritual neighbor know you.”

Members of the movement wear rainbow sashes on Pentecost Sunday every year because Pentecost is a celebration of the whole Church. “The Bishops response to our form of self-identication has been to refuse us the Holy Eucharist. They claim by self-identifying we are protesting, so if we remain hidden we can receive the body and blood of Christ. In light of what the Catechism says that homosexual people ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard must be avoided’ (CCC2358). There is something morally incoherent about that position.”

Matt C. Abbott, a blogger at the anti-Democrat, ultra-doxy Catholic blog, Renew America had this to say: “The sad thing is, gay activists hate the Church because she teaches homosexual activity is sinful. Period. And it really doesn’t matter how thoughtfully that teaching is presented; they still reject it. Now, I do have compassion for those who are striving to live a chaste life. Let’s face it: it’s an extremely difficult task in this sex-saturated society. (Those who suffer from same-sex attraction may find the group Courage to be of help.) But I don’t have compassion for those who champion the so-called right to kill a child in the womb, or for those who champion a filthy, disease-ridden lifestyle that is contrary to the natural and divine law. “  He ends with an immature:  “So there.”

“So there” means what? It’s OK for you to make grossly general and misleading statements and feel you are a good and holy Catholic?